Sheet depositing machine



All@ 10, 1965 H. MULLER 3,199,862

SHEET DEPOSITING MACHINE Filed Sept. 24, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Han; MZtcr maar Jwar ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1965 Filed Sept. 24, 1962 H. MLLER SHEET DEPOSITING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1965 H. MLLER SHEET DEPosITING MACHINE Filed Sept. 24, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR /7ll1 /Lr' /lf/ L (f ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1965 H. MULLER 3,199,862

SHEET DEPOSITING MACHINE Filed Sept. 24, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent O 3,1%,862 Sli-EEE? DEL SH'ENG MACHNE Hans Mller, Busehgnt, Zofingen, Switzerland Filed Sept. 2d, 1962, Ser. No. 225,776 Claims priority, application Switzerland, (Eet. 3, 1961, 11,44%/ 61 4 fllaims. (El. 27d-54) The present invention relates to a depositing machine for taking asymmetrically folded paper sheets from a pile and for depositing these sheets on a conveyer mechanism.

The invention has the primary object of providing a depositing machine of the kind referred to which correctly grips said folded paper sheets, opens the saine and drops the same on said conveyer mechanism. It is also an object of the invention to simplify the existing machines of this kind.

With these and other objects in View, which will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, I provide a depositing machine for depositing asymmetrically folded paper sheets on a conveyer mechanism, comprising in combination: a piling table for a pile of asymmetrically folded paper sheets having on top a front wall, a rear wall and at the bottom behind an aperture in said table a part-cylindrical guide wall, a taking-out gripper drum journalled rotatably co-axially with said part-cylindrical guide wall, a cam stationarily mounted co-axially with said part-cylindrical guide wall, a gripper lever pivotally mounted on said taking-out gripper drum and spring biased with one end against said cam, a suction arm pivotally mounted under said aperture in the piling table and co-operating with the other end of said gripper arm, and auxiliary gripper drums rotatably mounted below said taking-out gripper drum, a first one of said auxiliary gripper drums counterrotating relative to said taking-out gripper drum and engaging with part of its circumference into the range of rotation of said taking-out gripper drum, said auxiliary gripper drums in operation taking over the folded sheets from said taking-out gripper drum, opening the same, and dropping the same on said conveyer mechanism.

These and other features of my said invention will be clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a diagrammatic elevation, partly in section of the machine according to the invention in the state of delivering one sheet to the first of the auxiliary gripper drums,

FIG. 2 shows thersheet, still folded, being engaged by two auxiliary gripper drums, beginning to open the same, and a new sheet being taken out of the pile,

FIG. 3 shows the progress of opening the sheet, which has now left the taking-out gripper drum, by two auxiliary gripper drums, and

FG. 4 shows the opened sheet being dropped on the conveyer mechanism.

ln all these figures, 19 denotes a piling table with which are connected a rear wall 11 and a front wall 12 as well as a curved part-cylindrical guide plate or guide cylinder segment 13 extending downwardly from the forward edge of the table 1t). On the piling table between the forward wall 12 and the rear wall 11 there lies a pile 1 of paper sheets B, folded asymmetrically, each abutting the front wall 12 with the fold on its rear, and with the lower margins b1 protruding on the rear abutting the rear wall 11. Under an opening 14 in the bottom behind the forward edge of the piling table 1t? there is mounted the carrier shaft 20 of a taking-out gripper drum 2 con- Fice tinuously rotating in the sense of the indicated arrow P2 which drum is partly encircled at its rear by the aforesaid guide cylinder segment 13.

Such a taking-out gripper drum 2 comprises with advantage two outer drum discs 21 spaced from one another in the axial direction and iixedly connected with the shaft 2@ for rotation, between which a stationarily positioned control cam disc 22 is arranged. A gripper lever 24 pivotally mounted between the two outer drum discs 21 on an eccentrically arranged shaft 23 carries at its outer end a gripper 241 while at its inner end a follower roller 242 is journalled, which under the bias of a tension spring 246 acting on the lever 24 is forced against the periphery of the control cam surface 22. On the forward edge of the piling table 1t) a hollow shaft 15 is journalled in a manner known per se parallel to the drum shaft 2t?, about which Shar, 1S a suction arm 1b' is pivoted, which in a likewise known manner is connected with a suction pump through the hollow shaft 15. The suction arm 16 is firstly swung upward at each revolution of the drum by means of an additional cam disc (not shown) mount-ed on the shaft 2S, tow-ar s the lowest sheet of the pile 1, and after grippin0 the folded edge on the rear of said lowest sheet, is swung back into the working position of FIG. 1. Then the gripper 241 reaches round the folded edge br on the rear of the sheet concerned, and upon continued rotation of the drum 2 pulls the seized sheet out of the pile.

When the gripper 241 has travelled past a presser roller 25 carried by a lever 251 pivotally mounted at 25@ on the guide cylinder segment 13, and when the folded edge b1. at the rear of the sheet B1 abuts the stationary abutments 26, the gripper 241 is released land travels on to the position of FIG. l, in order to engage there a new sheet B2. The presser roller 25 consists of axially spaced discs which pass through slots in the circumference of the guide cylinder segment 13, in order to press the sheet against the circumferential surfaces of the two drum discs 21, and to hold it there.

Below and slightly before the drum shaft Ztl a shaft St? of a forward depositing gripper drum 3 is joumalled, which rotates continuously in the sense of the arrow P3, i.e. counterrotating with respect to the drum 2. This depositing gripper drum is constructed in principle like the taking-out drum 2, ire. it comprises two outer discs 31, which are ixedly connected for rotation with the shaft 353, and a control cam disc 32 positioned stationarily between the same and co-operating with the follower roller 342 of a gripper lever 341 carrying the gripper 341 and biased by a spring 349, said lever 34- being mounted on the shaft 33. However, the forward depositing gripper drum 3 is shorter than the taking-out gripper drum 2, so that its two drum discs 31 can reach between the drum discs 21 of the drum 2, each disc 31 having a semicircular portion of larger radius and a semi-circular portion of smaller radius.

in the position of F16. l the leading transition flanks from the large to the small radius of the two drum discs 31 have pushed the lower edge of the paper sheet B1 away from the periphery of the drum discs 21, and the gripper 341 is on the point of engaging the protruding margin b1 of the sheet B1, while its shorter margin bk remain free.

A shaft d of a rear depositing drum 4 rotating in the sense of the arrow P4, i.e. contrarotating with respect to the gripper drum 3 and undirectionally with the gripper drum 2, is journalled, at the same level as the shaft 3d, under the real wall 11 of the piling table, and carries likewise two drum discs 41 spaced apart, between which a stationarily positioned control cam disc 42 is arranged. A deflector lever ed mounted on the shaft 43 carries at one end a deilector Lit-l1, and at its other end a follow roller 442 which under the bias of a tension spring 440 sasaesa .the phase according to FIG. 3 the sheet B1 has accordingly been already forcibly opened by the two counter rotating element 342i and 441 so that, when subsequently released Vby these elements according to FIG. 4, it drops on to the saddle 5, where it is guided by a conveyor chain (not shown) to the next depositing machine. The two depositing drums 3 and 4 with their elements 341 and dell; accordingly forcibly open the sheets even at a high rate of working and consequently safely deposits the sheets on the saddle 5.

As is clearly shown in FIG. 1, the longer layer b1, and more particularly its lower edge, abuts the small-radius portions of discs 3i when the folded edge br abuts stop 26. In this position, lianlrs or shoulders 32d engage the longer layer and extend parallel to the same in the tangential plane defined by the free lower end of sheet'Bl. Gripper means 341 cooperate with shoulders Si() to grip the longer layer b1. The large diameter portions of discs 31 urge sheet B1 toward drum i in the position of FIG. 2 so that the shorter layer bk is located in the region of the defiector means 424i which moves with the turning drum 41 substantially at the speed at which the shorter layer bk is moved by the rotating ldiscs 3l and gripper means 341. As clearly shown in the drawing, the receiving means 5 is located in a plane passing through the gap between the rotary drums 3l and 4i. and through the end of the holding means, and more particularly the end of the curved plate i3, which forms part of the holding means for the sheet in the transverse position. Since receiving means 5 is located in this plane, the unfolded sheet will drop in the position of FIG. 4 directly on the receiving means when released by gripper means 341 and defiector means 441. Y

While I have herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings what may be considered a typical and particularly useful embodiment of my said invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the particular details and dimensions described and illustrated; for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for at least partly unfolding asymmetrically folded sheets, each having a folded end and an opposite open end where a longer layer of each sheet terminates in a projecting portion projecting beyond a shorter layer thereof, and for depositing the unfolded sheets, comprising, in combination, a first rotary drum having first gripper means which rotate with said drum for gripping one sheet of a stack of folded sheets at the folded end thereof to withdraw the sheet from the stack and for releasing the sheet when it reaches a transfer position; holding means located adjacent with said first drum and engaging said folded end for holding the released sheet in said transfer position in which said open end assumes a position located in a tangential plane of CII i said first drum; second and third rotary drums located adjacent said first drum and forming between each other a gap for receiving the open end of the sheet in said transfer position, said tangential plane extending into said gap; single gripper means for gripping in said transfer position said longer layer of said sheet only at said projecting portion thereof so as to pull said sheet into said gap while permitting said shorter layer to move away from said longer layer; a deflector means carried by said third drum for engaging said shorter layer and defiecting the same away from said longer layer as soon as said open end of said sheet reaches said gap, said second and Ythird drums having directions of rotation which move said gripper means and said deflector means Vapart `from each other when they respectively engage said layers so as to unfold the sheet at least partially while it moves from said transfer position through said gap; and receiving means located in the path of movement of the thus unfolded sheet in a plane passing through said Yholding means and through said gap transversely to a plane passing through `the axes of said second and third drums to receive the unfolded sheet when released by said gripper means and defiector means.

2. A machine as recited in claim l and wherein said holding means includes a curved guide plate extending around a portion of the periphery of said first drum and .defining therewith a space which receives said folded Yend of said sheet while the latter approaches and becomes located in said transfer position, said second drum having `a peripheral portion which supports the longer layer as it moves to said transfer position.

3. A machine as recited in claim 2 and wherein said second drum has a portion of greater diameter and a circular portion of smaller diameter, and said portion of greater diameter passing into a cavity of said first drum during rotation of said first and second drums, said portion of smaller diameter being engaged by the edge of said longer layer of the oen end of said sheet while it moves to said transfer position.

4. A machine as recited in claim 2, said first drum including a pair of circular disks, said second drum hav- 4ing a peripheral portion of greater diameter and a peripheral portion of lesser diameter and shoulders between said portions, said first and second drums being disposed so that said peripheral portion of greater diameter moves References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Y2,251,943 8/41 Kleineberg 270-54 2,413,358 1.2/46 Kleineberg s- 270-54 2,903,260 9/759 Faeber 270-54 "EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

R. A. LEIGHEY, ROBERT E. PULFREY, WILLIAM B. PENN, Examiners. 

1. A MACHINE FOR AT LEAST PARTLY UNFOLDING ASYMMETRICALLY FOLDED SHEETS, EACH HAVING A FOLDED END AND AN OPPOSITE OPEN AND END WHERE A LONGER LAYER OF EACH SHEET TERMINATES IN A PROJECTING PORTION PROJECTING BEYOND A SHORTER LAYER THEREOF, AND FOR DEPOSITING THE UNFOLDED SHEETS, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FIRST ROTARY DRUM HAVING FIRST GRIPPER MEANNS WHICH ROTATE WITH SAID DRUM FOR GRIPPINGG ONE SHEET OF A STACK OF FOLDED FOLDED END THEREOF TO WITHDRAW THE SHEET FROM THE STACK AND FOR RELEASING THE SHEET WHEN IT REACHES A TRANSFER POSITION; HOLDING MEANS LOCATED ADJACENT WITH SAID FIRST DRUMK AND ENGAGING SAID FOLDED END FOR HOLDING THE RELEASED SHEET INN SAID TRANSFER POSITION IN WHICH SAID OPEN END ASSUMES A POSITION IN WHICH SAID OPEN SAID FIRST DRUM; SECOND AND THIRD ROTARY DRUMS LOCATED ADJACENT SAID FIRST DRUM AND FORMING BETWEEN EACH OTHER A GAP FOR RECEIVING THE OPENNN END OF THE SHEET IN SAID TRANSFER POSITION, SAID TANGENTIAL PLANE EXTENDING INTO SAID GAP; SINGLE GRIPPER MEANS FOR GRIPPING INN SAID TRANSFER POSITION SAID LONGER LAYER OF SAID SHEET ONNLY AT SAID PROJECTING PORTION THEREOF SO AS TO PULL SAID SHEET INTO SAID GAP WHILE PERMITTING SAID SHORTER LAYER TO MOVE AWAY FROM SAID LONGER LAYER; A DEFLECTOR MEANS CARRIED BY SAID THIRD DRUM FOR ENGAGING SAID SHORTER LAYER AND DEL THE SAME AWAY FROM SAID LONGER LAYER AS SOON AS SAID OPEN END OF SAID SHEET REACHES SAIDD GAP, SAID SECOND AND THIRD DRUMS HAVING DIRECTIONS OF ROTATION WHICH 